Aircraft are generally provided with pieces of radio equipment that can be intended for the communication of the aircraft, such as antennas, or the observation of the aircraft's environment, such as radars. These pieces of equipment cannot, however, be integrated into the cell of the aircraft due to radio disruptions caused by the cell.
It has thus been proposed to mount such a piece of radio equipment, in particular a radar intended to monitor land or sea zones, on the lower part of the fuselage of the aircraft. In order to minimize the aerodynamic disruptions caused by the radar, a radome is attached on the aircraft, covering the radar.
The radar and the radome then protrude relative to the lower surface of the fuselage of the aircraft. Such a configuration has drawbacks. In particular, during emergency landing, the landing gear being retracted, the volume of the radar interferes with the ground and modifies the sliding conditions of the aircraft, relative to an aircraft that does not have such a radar.
In order to minimize such interference, it has been proposed to equip the aircraft with an elevator system making it possible to deploy or withdraw the radar in response to a command from the pilot. Such a system, situated in a non-pressurized space, comprises a platform that is translatable through hydraulic or electric slaving. The platform is generally retracted during the takeoff, cruising and landing phases, and deployed upon approaching a working zone.